From Point to Eternity: A Hierarchical Taxonomy and Phenomenology of Meditation Induced Phosphenes and Luminous Light Experiences

This paper presents a comprehensive phenomenological and neurobiological exploration of meditation-induced phosphenes—internally generated light phenomena that unfold behind closed eyes during contemplative states. Drawing upon decades of first-person meditative experience, as well as insights from Buddhist, neuropsychological, and shamanic traditions, we introduce a novel hierarchical taxonomy that classifies these phenomena into three ascending levels: Basal Endogenous Visual Patterns, Complex Meditation-Induced Phosphenes, and Transpersonal Luminous Manifestations.We distinguish these structured, meaningful inner light experiences from pathological hallucinations and migraine aura by emphasizing intact reality testing, clarity of consciousness, and their frequent association with awe, insight, and ego dissolution. At the highest tier, we describe direct encounters with what we define as the Ultrasubjective Hyperspace (USH), a dimensionless, radiant field of consciousness wherein symbolic, geometric, and archetypal light forms give way to a unified, non-dual luminosity. This experiential domain, we propose, may underlie the transformative realizations described in mystical traditions as illumination or enlightenment.This taxonomy clarifies how structured inner visions can emerge through sensory attenuation and homeostatic plasticity, recruit higher visual and mnemonic cortical functions, and culminate in transpersonal states correlated with gamma synchrony and DMN attenuation. Our model integrates contemplative science with neurophenomenology, offering new directions for consciousness research and inviting a reevaluation of inner light visions as a legitimate and meaningful domain of inquiry. These findings have implications not only for meditation research but for the broader understanding of consciousness as a generative and luminous faculty of the human mind.